Dr. Josh Dines
Some special advice for parents of athletes from Dr. Josh Dines, Orthopedic Surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Assistant Team Doctor for the NY Mets and NY Rangers
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As children and adolescents become more invested in athletics, the risks and concerns regarding overuse injuries rise. The majority of sports and overuse injuries are due to minor trauma to soft tissue, bone, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. If not adequately addressed, overuse injuries could lead to more severe problems, such as tendonitis and stress fractures. Strategies that many of my readers, who are parents, may employ to prevent youth athletes from suffering overuse injuries are to avoid sport specialization, allow for appropriate warm-up and recovery, and adequately address any pain or discomfort.
First, as colleges get exponentially more competitive, so do recruiting prospects, incentivizing parents to specialize their children in one particular sport. However, studies have shown that children and adolescents who play their primary sport for more than eight months in the year have an increased risk of overuse injuries in the upper and lower extremities due to continuous stress on the same muscles and joints. Post et al. 2017 showed that kids who participate in their primary sport for more hours per week than their age have a higher rate of all types of injuries, including overuse injuries. McGuine et al. 2017 reported high school athletes who were moderately specialized had a 50% higher rate of lower extremity injuries, and highly specialized athletes had an 85% higher incidence. These studies recommend coaches and athletic directors to educate athletes and their parents regarding these risks and to offer more opportunities for kids to play a variety of sports. By avoiding sports specialization, it may also prevent mental burnout and provide athletes with more balanced perspectives towards competition.
Second, athletes of all ages need proper rest between practice and competition. A lack of sleep and muscle fatigue predispose athletes to injuries, so it is vital to incorporate rest or an off-season into athletes’ schedules. Also, dynamic stretching for warm-up and static stretching for cool-down are valuable prevention techniques that should become part of athletes’ routines. Proper stretching technique immediately before and after relieves stress on their muscles and joints that could otherwise build into injuries. By having a warm-up and recovery routine, young athletes would hopefully be able to participate for more years of their lives.
Third, some athletes push through pain to avoid shaming from their coaches and peers, but that could result in a more serious condition. Therefore, if parents notice a change in their athlete’s technique, I highly recommend they pull him or her out to address the problem by seeking a professional assessment. Ideally, young athletes should communicate with their parents and coaches if they are experiencing any pain or discomfort so it can be addressed early.
Preventing overuse injuries in today’s ultra-competitive environment is not easy, but by diversifying athletic activities, allowing time for proper warm-up and recovery, and having open communication about pain are steps everyone can take to accomplish this goal.
Resources:
McGuine, Timothy A., et al. “A prospective study on the effect of sport specialization on lower extremity injury rates in high school athletes.” The American journal of sports medicine 45.12 (2017): 2706-2712.
Post, Eric G., et al. “The association of sport specialization and training volume with injury history in youth athletes.” The American journal of sports medicine 45.6 (2017): 1405-1412.
Miner 2016 http://www.kansascity.com/spor